silent apprentice
by Crazy-random-reader of hogwart
Summary: Halt is on a mission ony day when he find two children in a tent on the side of the road. they are beaten half to death and starving. what will Halt do? Will he leave them or help them? And will they be able to earn a place in the grizzly Rangers heart?
1. Chapter 1

Silent apprentice

Chapter one: Discovery

Hey guys this is my first story and I hope you like it!

Halt P.O.V.

Halt was known to often grumble and tonight was no different as Abelard, Halts horse, trudged through the three feet of snow covering the icy Araluen-Picta (A/N spelling?) border on Christmas Eve. King Duncan had ordered him to patrol the border incase of any surprise raids on the kingdom; because, though it was rare it did happen once in a while.

Suddenly, Abelard softly nickered, alerting Halt to the fact that someone was nearby, but hidden out of sight. Halt looked scanned over the area without moving his head. See with being seen, Crowley said.

Out of the blue, a bush moved. Normally, Halt would have dismissed this s a rabbit, but the movement was much too large to be anything but a person.

" King's Ranger step out of the bush," he said but nothing happened. Halt warily stepped towards the bush and repeated the sentence, but still nothing happened. Halt stepped closer and Abelard whinnied in discomfort but Halt ignored it.

He got closer and closer to the bush and saw that a small tent, just big enough for to children around sixteen, that had been decently camouflaged into the snowy landscape. Any normal passerby would have overlooked it. Halt could barely see it, which was Impressive since it was defiantly not a ranger.

As he came to the entrance flap he heard the soft snores of two children. A menagerie of questions rose into Halts head. Why were children here on Christmas Eve? How are they so good at camouflaging their tent? Whose children were they? Were they any threat to him?

Halt opened the flap and indeed saw two children, twins by the looks of it. There was a boy and a girl, about fifteen years old. They had matching blond hair and were very short by the looks of it. They each were stick thin too. They were wearing only rags and the only blanket was covering up the girl. What horrified Halt though, was the scars, bruises, and cuts all over them. On their backs Halt could see what looked like whip marks. On their necks he could see huge identical marks cover their throats and the thickest par of each cut was over their vocal cords.

They were escaped slaves no doubt, Halt thought. Why they were beaten so badly, he had no idea. They were obviously half dead from the beatings, and malnutrition.

Out of the blue the boy opened his eyes and stared straight at Halt. A strange, guttural sound came from his throat, as if he could speak. His eyes held fear, pain, but most of all a determination to keep his sister safe.

"Hey, it's okay, you're safe now. I am a king's ranger"

At the words king's ranger, the boy visibly relaxed. He then turned around and woke up his sister. Halt now noticed that they each had brown eyes that were inquisitive, and were dull, like they had a twinkle when they were happy. The two children exchanged hand signals, not unlike the ones the rangers used when needing ti use silent communication.

"Who are you?" Halt asked. They boy reached for halts hand and halt immediately reacted and slapped the boy in the face. He regretted what he did as so as it happened. A big red hand mark appeared on the boys face. The boy visibly flinched when Halt held out his hand afterwards.

" Hey, I'm sorry, go on and show me what you were going to show me. What's you and your sisters name young one name young one?" Halt said softly and gently.

The boy cautiously grabbed his hand and traced the word WILL onto Halt's hand, and pointed to himself. " So you're Will, boy?" Halt said. The boy now Will nodded. He then took Halts hand and traced TRANISA and pointed to his sister. Halt nodded and stored the information into his brain.

He now had to ask Will a question, one he had been pondering over throughout the whole exchange. They where starving and in need of immediate medical attention, that much was clear. So Halt decided to ask Will if he wanted to come back to castle Redmont with him and live will him, if possible. When he voiced his question Will and his sister, Tranisa, exchanged looks and more of the hand signals. Then Will turned to Halt, grabbed his hand and traced over it, " yes we will go but only if you will let us ride together and will no abandon us."

"We can arrange that." Halt said. Will and Tranisa climbed out of the tent, folded the blanket, collapsed the tent and looked up at Halt expectantly.

" Off we go," Halt said. Will and Tranisa climbed up onto the packhorse that Halt had brought in case he took prisoners. That made Halt remember his original mission. He decided that the to twins were more important than any mission. He climbed onto Abelard and started towards Castle Redmont.

A question popped into Halts mind but he decided to hold off on it till they reached their destination

~~~~~~~~~~~Line break… skip two days…line break~~~~~~~~~~~

Third P.O.V.

The three travelers finally came upon the Castle Redmont after two hard grueling days of traveling. Over the past two days halt had seen the bond between Will and Tranisa. When one got off to do something, the other got off to go with the other. They never strayed more than five feet from each other and Halt was worried that it would cause a problem once the got to the castle.

Halt suspected that they were mute. Why else would they not speak, trace any message onto his hand, and communicate through hand signals. He also saw that Will was the communicator of the pair and Tranisa was shy in front of others. Halt could tell he was slowly gaining their trust. The now would flinch in Halt touched them or said something. Obviously, they had never had good experience will other people, even when they were little. They had scars covering their whole body. There weren't just physical scars to. Halt suspected that they had been verbally beaten from young age too.

He escorted the children to Baron Arald's (?) office and ushered them in. The Baron was sitting at his desk filling out paperwork when Halt came in. at the sight of the brightly dressed man the two children flinched and ran to hide behind Halt. Their owner must have dressed a little bit like him.

"Ah, Halt good to see you! How are you doing this fine day, you weren't supposed to be back for another week. What are those two children behind you doing? Don't they now I am a harmless old man. Are they here to be put in the ward because they don't look like they are from this part of the country?" Arald said

Halt filled the man in on what happened on the mission. He then turned to the two children and, giving them a rare smile said, " its okay, he is a close friend of mine, he wont hurt you. No I have to ask you guys a question, are you mute?" At that they both paled and looked relived. Will grabbed Halts hand shaking and traced, "Yes, our slave owners punished use because we were talking about escaping. We were six when it happened."

"Wait, what did the boy say?" Arald said.

"Will, said that they are mute and became that way because when then were six they talked about escaping and their owner punished them accordingly." Suddenly, Halt felt fingers tracing " Will the man punish us because we spoke" onto his hand. He turned and saw Will and Tranisa looking fearfully and the baron. Will keep tracing onto his hand, ' we are sorry! We wont do it again, just don't let him hurt us."

So, how do you like it? Please review


	2. Chapter 2

Silent Apprentice

Chapter two

Sorry for the wait! I was on vacation at my aunt's house in rural MN. And she doesn't have a computer. Then school started and I didn't have time to start writing. The good news is that my parents will be gone for a few hours so maybe I can get a new chapter started after I upload this one. Plus GO GREEN! GO WHITE! Root for MSU you guys :)

Ok to clear a few something up. When he was afraid of being punished he meant spoke as in wrote in Halts hand.

To answer the one reviewer, he went to his fief cause I don't like the other one, and its harder to write them. Plus, I was being lazy.

Disclaimer: What's the title of this site? FANfiction, not AUTHORfiction so it stands to reason that we are fans writing for enjoyment! DUH! This goes for the whole story :)

Halt was stunned. He knew that the Baron would never hurt anyone, let alone a child. They must have belonged to a baron like Arald was. That would explain why they cowered when they entered the office. They thought they were going to be punished.

"No, will he will never hurt you. You and your sister are safe now. You don't have to worry about anyone hurting you ever again." At the words Will and Tranisa looked immensely relived but then slowly two smiles spread across their faces, but disappearing almost as soon as they appeared. The two looked so much younger in that moment, like the fifteen years olds that they were instead of the thirty year olds they usually acted like.

Suddenly, Tranisa reached gently for Halts hand and traced," Thank you." She then approached the Baron and traced what looked like an apology. When she did this Will grabbed his hand and said, " Parchment and quill please." Once he got that he wrote, albeit messily, " you are lucky she did that. She's only ever communicated with two different people besides me. It means that she trusts you. If you betray that trust be prepared." He then sat the quill down any wouldn't say more. Halt could see that he was focusing on not succumbing to bad memories. At that moment Tranisa come back to them. Halt could see that the two kids where worn out and were running on empty.

"Come on you two. I have a cabin with a bed you can share, if that's all right with you." At this the children nodded hesitantly, and wearily. "How many times have I told you that you don't have to be scared? I am here to help you. Now come on, time to go to your new and **permanent **home."

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When they reached the house the two children were dead on their feet. Never the less, the moment Halt had gotten off his horse; they grabbed the reins of the horses and started towards the stable, presumably to put them away. But Halt stopped them. He gently dislodged the reins from Wills hands and waved them inside (like Gibbs from NCIS, I believe that Halt is a man of very few words). Tranisa and Will wearily and warily walked inside and disappeared from Halts view.

Assuming that they had gone to bed, he stomped inside, but stopped in shock. There were the two children, in his kitchen, cooking dinner for one. Tranisa was pouring him his drink and Will was piling vegetables on a plate. His plate he realized. At the far end of the room, a small plate was filled with a third of what was on his. They gently set his plate on the table and retreated to the other plate. A small, silent argument went on when Will tried to give all of the food to his sister. She refused at first, but eventually relented.

'That is why Will looks smaller than Tranisa. He gives her all of the food.' Halt realized. 'I've got my work cut out for me of even after tell them what, fifty times, that they don't have to do anything they go right in and make me dinner, leaving not even a rabbits meal for themselves.' He sighed

The twins must have heard them for they immediately stopped what they were doing, and rushed to Halts side. Will ushered him to the table, Tranisa pulled out his chair and sat him down. The rushed to the kitchen and brought it out. Will grabbed his hand and traced, "Do you like it, I'm sorry, this is all you had, is it sufficient?" Halt smiled gently and nodded. The two visibly relaxed. Halt to a bite and stopped. It was delicious.

" Thank you. Why don't you two go finish your meal? I am fine" the two walked back to their meal but not before Halt spoke again. " You don't have to do this anymore. In fact if it is the only ay to get your attention, I order you to stop doing any cleaning, cooking, or any other chore you think you have to o. just relax and act like 15 year old twins. Fight laugh, cry don't are just don't cook, clean, or any other thing like that.


	3. Chapter 3

Silent Apprentice

Chapter 3

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Hellooooo Chicago and welcome to the Me Show! Ok, so maybe the TV is getting to my head, but hey I'm writing. My parents are volunteering, so that means I can write another chapter uninterrupted (I am such a bad speller I spelled that unintrerupeted. Whoops!). How did you like yesterday's chapter? The sad part, 25 some views and visitors, yet no reviews:( Could someone please review, I would make my day. Anyway the plot bunny is poking me and Maximum Rides voice has mysteriously popped into my head tell to start all ready so, on with the show! Also this is my fanfiction story so it might not be accurate.

P.S. the worst part of my day has been the fact that my mom forgot to buy me apple juice. Waaa! What about you? Come on it can be between us.

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The two (whenever I write that I write tow) looked shocked. 'Have they had no love or supporting their lives?' Halt thought. ' That must be the case if they are acting like this.'

Then he spoke, "It's ok, just go to bed. I will take care of it all. You guys have been through enough these past few days. We can talk tomorrow (can never spell that that word) about everything." With that, the twins disappeared into the hall. Halt got up from the table, grabbed the dishes, and headed for the sink. As he washed the plates and glass, he contemplated the turn his life had taken in just a few short days. 'So, I go from alone patrolling in the woods on Christmas Eve, and then, out of the blue I find two escaped slaves, both mute. They both have scars all over their bodies, physical and mental, and most of the time, they only listen to direct orders. What am I to do? Do I try to nurture them back to health, around my duties as a ranger, do I hand them over to the barons ward program and hope they can help, or do I hand them over to their rightful owners and forget about them? Ahh... I will just sleep on it and think more in the morning.'

During the night, Halt was awoken to shuffling in the room next to his, the room the twins had chosen. He crept silently into the room to see a surprising sight. Will, the on he thought was strongest, was writhing and silently crying out. 'A nightmare' Halt thought. He was interrupted by Tranisa's head popping up from the floor and staring straight at his face. Her glare was piercing, but softened after a second. She raised one finger in the universal be quiet gesture. She then gently shook Will awake. He opened his eyes and was open in an instant. His eyes landed on his sister and then, his hand grabbed her face and started checking over her. She gently took his hands off her face and set him in the bed. After a brief gentle smile, he fell back asleep. Instead of joining him, Tranisa padded across the room to Halt. She took his hand and traced, " Paper and a quill if you please. Then we can sit outside." He complied

Outside the two sat on the steps and Tranisa started writing a sad, heartbreaking story

_Once upon a time, we were happy. We lived here, in Celtica till we were perhaps ten. Our mother had died during our birth and Father was off hunting or in town drunk most of the time. Because of that Will had taken care of me our whole lives. One such day we were outside enjoying a warm spring day. Will was skinning and smoking a deer Father had dropped off before heading for town and I was sewing a new shirt for him. We were aware of the war between the Scotti, but did not think it would concern us. Suddenly, twenty of their warriors stormed the farm and took us prisoner. The next few months were the worst. They would beat us every day; well they would attempt to beat me, but Will would take them for me. He was constantly breaking bones, which is why he limps so badly and has trouble breathing. The worst part was that they had never left our farm. We were stuck there for eight months, and our father never showed up. Then they decided to move us. They didn't want us alerting people that we were there though. That's how we got these scars._

At that she pointed to the scar on her neck

_ They moved us constantly for the next year and a half or so we were moved constantly. Still the beatings continued. Still, Will covered for me. At one point, he developed pneumonia and almost died. Throughout that, he never made a single cry. He was strong as could be. Then, we were moved to a Scotti household not far from where you found us. They made us work from before dawn and long after dusk. But often, when we didn't get chores done, Will would take the blame and… and, they would beat him in front of the whole household. They would all laugh at him and tell him that it was all his fault we were captured…_

It was at this point her writing started to become shaky and hard to read. Halt was in shock and could not believe what these two children had been through, yet there was more?

_He finally started to believe them. He would not talk to me except for when it was necessary. He would have terrible nightmares and have to see that I was ok to appease his guilty soul. The night we escaped, he was hit with an arrow in the shoulder not far from his heart and just kept going. That night he told me to keep going and that he would see me in the afterlife. He told me that by taking the arrow he was repenting for bringing me into the hell our life had become. It was horrible. I told him no. I stayed with him and nursed him back to health. That arrow was meant for me Halt. That was about eight months ago. As soon as he was better, he started hunting again, yet still would give the majority to me, keeping only just enough to survive for himself. A month before you found us he came and told me that our hideout had been found and we had to move. While running he twisted his ankle, yet kept going. Then you found us and rescued us._

By the end of her tale she was holding back sobs. "Its ok, you're okay. I will keep you and your brother safe. We will capture the Scotti and you can get your revenge."

She never got the chance, for the next morning, tragedy struck


	4. Chapter 4

Silent apprentice

Chapter four

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Hey three chapters in two days. My parents aren't going to be home for another hour so I decided to write yet another chapter. I am expecting reviews by the end of t=night. Virtual cookies and a pat on the back for those who do. Don't forget that warm fuzzy feeling you will get if you do ;)

Listening to: I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz, Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw, Ed Sheeran The A team (one of my favs!), Some Nights by fun., and so on

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Halt woke up shortly after daybreak to a commotion in the front yard. 'I hope those two aren't out there working.' After the revelations of last night Halt was even more confused on what to do. He got up, dressed, and loaded his bow before heading to the door. Outside, what he saw made him stop cold. Two warriors were restraining Tranisa and Will was fighting three more. They got a hold of him, but he kept struggling. When his eyes landed on Halt he stopped struggling for a second. He drew in his breath and made his first sound that Halt heard. He screamed. It was a horrifying sound, guttural and strangled. When he stopped he collapsed from the effort. The warriors, Scotti warriors Halt realized, turned to him.

The one who looked like the leader said in a gruff voice, "These r 'our slaves. They escaped 'bout 10-11 months ago. We wer' passing through and saw 'em here. We 'r taking them back. Thank you for detaining them until we could reclaim them. The boy will be punished sufficiently."

With that they disappeared before Halt could loose an arrow. He walked to where the struggle had taken and saw two something that shocked him. They were identical leather bands each about two inches thick. On each were an amber bead and an emerald stone. When he picked them up he felt something on the insides. When he turned them inside out they each said, " Your mother loves you, you have each other, and you will always be loved." How the two hid them was impossible but he was amazed they were able to do it without him finding out. In spite if the situation, all halt could think was, "When we find them, they are becoming rangers."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/six months later\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Halt was sitting, drinking coffee in his house while contemplating his life. After the twins had been captured- wait Recaptured a flurry of search parties had commenced. For a month all the rangers did was look for the two young slaves. But nothing appeared, not of the twins or the Scotti warriors. They all had seemingly disappeared. Halt was rushed when they could not find anything, he promised himself that as soon as he find them, he would take them with himself and they would live in the forest until they were better. Now though, even he had given up hope of seeing Will and Tranisa again.

That was why he was surprised to hear a pounding on his door. Opening it he froze (he does that a lot in this story doesn't he). There, supporting her brother was Tranisa! She had scrapes all over and a deep looking gash in her leg. Will was a mess though. It looked like him right arm was broken, his legs looked like goop there were so many burns, gashes, and bruises. His nose was definitely broken, and all of the fingers in both hands were broken. 'So he couldn't communicate,' Halt realized. Then he snapped into action. He pulled Will from his sister's lap and rushed him inside. He vaguely heard Tranisa following. He laid him down in the bed he used last time, and rushed for his emergency medical kit.

Before reentering the room he turned to Tranisa and said, "welcome home." With a brief smile, he disappeared back into the bedroom turned hospital room. He them heard will take a shaky breath. It sounded like his lungs were filled with fluid. 'An infection?' Halt wondered. He then set up his supplies and set to work. First he took care of his legs. He cleaned the cuts, put soothing medicine on the burns, and wrapped both of them so tightly, the blood was the only thing that could get through. Then he looked at his arm and fingers. Working on the fingers first, he got out boards built specially for the purpose and set and wrapped all ten with tenderness not usually shown by the tough ranger. After that he did the same with his arm. Finally, he set his nose and gave him a heavy does of sleeping medicine.

After cleaning up himself and the room, he went into the living room and sat down with Tranisa.

"Tell em what happened


	5. Chapter 5

Silent Apprentice

Chapter 5

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Greetings from mars! So, I am moving into my house this Friday, and won't have Internet for the week. Because of that I decided to treat you guys with as long of a chapter as I can make. Also, if anyone is interested in harry potter fandom The Midnight Sun is a great story! And if you are interested in Artemis Fowl, the Road to Recovery is a good one to read. Any way, slap on your seatbelts and get ready for the ride of your life! The last line of the last chapter was supposed to be ' tell me what happened' I am going to be spelling Tranisa's name Tranesia now, because Tranesia is a real name.

Also Bralt: if you are listening to this, thank you very much for reviewing my fic, you are the only person to review seriously, and I don't know how to get a beta reader, so if you could tell me, I would appreciate it.

Oh, the A team is on, it must be fate! ' White lips, Pale face, breathing in the snowflakes…

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Tranesia took his hand and 'asked' for some paper. Halt got up and gather a few sheets of paper and a quill, along with a glass of water, and some crackers.

"Ok, I have it all, along with some snacks for you. Are you ready?" Halt said as he sat down. With a tentative nod, Tranesia took the paper and started writing:

_ The day they took us, Will and I were hoping to surprise and thank you by making breakfast that morning. You didn't have a lot of wood, so we were going to get some from behind the house. After that, we couldn't find any meat, so we decided to go hunting. We borrowed a bow and arrow from the pile you keep in the barn._

Now that he thought about it, Halt remembered, not having as many bows as he had had before the twins had been kidnapped (lots of hads in that sentence right?).

_We were following a rabbit when we heard the warriors. They had been searching for us. We ran, but not before they saw us. They followed us back to the house. We were right about to run inside before they grabbed us. You know what happened afterwards. After they got us about twenty miles away, they beat Will for escaping. That's when they whipped him first. When they tried to beat me to, he took it. Then they forced us to walk all the way back our old homestead, the one we had lived in our whole life. There, in the kitchen, sat our FATHER, drinking wine with a general, and discussing battle plans. When he saw us, he asked if we had been sufficiently punished. Not how are you, what happened or anything, he asked if we had been punished enough. I think that is when Will gave up all hope. He always told me that our father would rescue us; the he was captured and was making plans to take us back. As it turns out, he had planned for us to be captured. Then he told us that he was their supreme general, and that we were as good as royal. Then he said that royals were over rated and beat Will half to death. If you look on the sole of his foot, you can see where Father branded that he was just property. After that, he told us to go to our rooms, and wait till we were called. When we got in, I took care of will, and he put me to bed. _

_It continued that way for three months, when Father decided to stop hurting Will, and let him fully heal. When he was, we were back to slave work. One of our chores was to go get supplies from town for everyone staying at the farm. When we went into town, Will would stop people and ask for help. No one would stop, because no one remembered us. A month ago, the old bartender recognized us, and he gave Will paper. He told him what was going on, and the poor old bartender said he would help us. He told us that we would only have to spend one more day there, and he would take us home to you. He never came. A week later, we were called to Fathers 'punishment room' that was where he tortured people. When we came into the room, there was the bartender, legs gone, and one eye missing. Father then beheaded him right there. Turning to us, he ranted for ten minutes about how it was our fault he had died. Then he gave Will all of the injures you saw today. When he lost he way to communicate, Will lost his fighting sprit. Until then, he had been spreading rumors, and gain allies. He also had bee trying to get in touch with the closet ranger to our part of the border, so he could tell you we were alive. After that, we were forbidden from going outside. _

_Three weeks ago a fellow slave, accidently set the house on fire. That gave Will his burns and I got my cut. I know for a fact we were the only survivors. Then we traveled through the wilderness until, we found a town with a ranger, who pointed us in the direction of your this fief. Two days ago, we reached the castle, and got directions to your house. Then this morning we walked the path, to your house and knocked. While we were walking, will collapsed, from strain I think. Will he be ok? Please say yes. Please, he is the only thing besides you that I have left. Without him, I don't know what I would do._

By the conclusion of their story, Tranesia hand was shaking, tears were flowing, and Halt could barely read what was written. Making a split second decision he was sure he would regret, he scooped the girl into an awkward hug and started to whisper about how Will would be ok, and how they were safe. When she started to cry harder, Halt thought he had done something wrong. Then he realized she was crying because she must have only ever had hugs from Will, never their father or anyone else. That was when Halt made the decision that he would protect these two from anything, everything, because though they were only fifteen, they had been through so much more than he. Then he realized that Tranesia had cried herself asleep. He picked her up with ease. 'Whoa, she is light. She must not weigh more than a hundred and ten pounds. And if she's this light, how much lighter is Will?' speaking of Will, he will be waking up soon. Setting Tranesia on his bed, he crept into wills room. Will, was still sleeping, but Halt could tell he was waking up. His posture was too tense to still be sleeping. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Wills eyes opened. Halt walked over to him and said, " Hello Will, welcome back. How are you feeling? I set all of your bones, and you fingers should heal in a few weeks. You two gave me quite a scare when you knocked on my door." After this, Halts gaze softened. "Tranesia told me what happened." Will turned his head away, embarrassed. " Will, look at me. You are incredibly brave to go through that. I could not have done better myself, and I have been in the Ranger business for over three (?) decades. I promise you Will, you and your sister are safe here. You will never have to go through some thing like that again. You are safe, and you will never have to leave again." As Halt said this, a few stray tears escaped both men's eyes. Will looked up at the old man, and Halt knew. He knew that Will loved him. He knew that Will knew that they were safe. Then, with a shrug, Will turned and went back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Silent Apprentice

Chapter 6

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That last chapter sucked didn't it? Just admit it. I lost my plot bunny Steve at the end of the chapter and I just found him. Say hi Steve!

Steve: ~sticks out tongue like a two year old before resuming plans to take ove world and make himself supreme rule~

Just ignore him; he's mad I didn't want to give him a Beebe gun to help his plans. I am aiming for a longer chapter so I will try to make this chapter at least 2,000 words or 6 pages long, whichever I feel like doing, depends on Steve's mood. It might take me a couple of days though. Anyway, moved into my house, found Steve, now writing. Make sense? Hope it does cause good-bye!

Bralt: Keep reading, you are the only new reviews I get and I might not write for a while if I don't get any more than just the one I get from you!

Signing in _italics_

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/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\Two weeks later/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Halt sat at the table on a crisp fall morning (I know that it should be august but I am going to count the time it took to travel down, meet the baron and get kidnapped. So its going to be mid September. Keepesh?) Nursing a huge cup of coffee with copious amounts of honey. He pondered the last two weeks of his life.

_**Flashback (cue fancy dramatic actiony music) Flashback**_

After his… well he didn't know what to call it. He couldn't call it a talk, because he and Will never uttered a word. He decided it was a 'look.' But anyway, after that he had gone to bed, plagued with dreams of the two teens being hurt. The next morning, before Will had awoken, he had searched for the brand Tranesia had mentioned last night. He found it and it was horrible. It sat right on the most sensitive part of the foot, so it must have hurt like (Steve Steve). It was a bear, claws raised ready to pounce. Below sat the Scotti motto: _malum mos vado. Nos mos attero hostes hostium. _That was not the worst part though. It was infected bad, and he could see tiny flecks of something purple, unlike anything you would find in the forest. It was probably poison, Halt thought grimly. He would have to clean it and it would hurt like someone had poured acid on your eyes. But, alas he had to do it or Will could get really sick and die (OMBG, always wanted to that. P.S. that stands for Oh My BubbleGumdrops). He was just able to finish cleaning the brand and out his stuff away before Will woke up. Instead of steadily waking up, bit-by-bit, all of the sudden he jolted and sat up. His eyes were slightly glazed up. That was why instead of making a jab at the boy, he looked directly into Wills eyes and gently said, "Do you know where you are Will?" at this the boy nodded and the glazed up look in his eyes disappeared. When he was fully awake he reached out his hand to trace something when he seemed to realize that his fingers were broken, he pulled his hands away embarrassed.

Halt smiled sadly and said, " It's ok, with those splints on your fingers, you should be able to communicate in one week or so." Will just nodded and went back to sleep. It continued like that for a week. Halt took care of Wills injuries and will slept and eat, but only half of what even Tranesia had eaten. Halt was really worried by the time Will got his finger splints off. He was afraid that Will was not eating enough but he didn't know what to do. As soon as Will had his fingers free, he scrambled for Halts hand in a rare show of emotion. Halt complied and gave his hand to Will. The boy traced clumsily, " Is Tranesia ok, please tell me she's ok, she cant be hurt"

" She is ok, in fact she is the one who brought you here" Halt replied. Will seem satisfied will that answer and visibly relaxed. Then he asked if he could see her.

" Of coarse" Halt replied and went to get Tranesia. She was outside chopping wood, something Halt only agreed to once he saw how restless and stressed she seemed without it. When she her the door slam, Wills twin looked up at Halt with a questing gaze. " He wants to see you" Halt answered to the unspoken question.

_**Authors note: ok guys, going to try a Tranesia P.O.V, really nervous, if you read, please review on how I do and please tell me how to get better no matter how good/bad I am. Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?**_

Tranesia P.O.V

When I heard Halt say that Will wanted to see me, I was overjoyed. I was afraid that he wouldn't talk to me after The Incident. I set down my axe, wiped the sweat off my brow and walked inside. Halt lead me into our room. Inside sat Will, looking relaxed to the unobservant eye, but I could tell that he was anxious. Judging from the look in Halts eyes, he also say something, but he couldn't tell what. With a grunt, Halt left my brother and I to talk- well sign. Looking up at me, Will gestured to the bed he was currently occupying. I sat on the bed and Will put my face into his chest and entwined our legs. I loved it when he did this, it made me feel loved. Then my brother started signing.

" _How are you?_" he asked.

" _I'm fine"_ I replied, but he knew that I was fibbing a little bit. He had raised me since we were children, despite him being older by ten minutes. That made me remember one of my favorite memories

_**Flashback**_

"_Will, look what I got!" I screamed to my ten-year-old brother as I came home from hunting. Will was sitting in the front yard, smoking venison, while skinning a deer. He had sweat all over his face, so I could tell he had been chopping wood. He looked up and smiled. Da was out drinking or whatever. Again. 'What?" he yelled back. I ran the way to him, but before I could I stumbled and a searing pain shot up my left leg. Will was beside me in an instant. " Are you okay?" He asked franticly. Without waiting for a reply, he scooped me up swiftly but gently and carried into our house and set me on the bed we shared. He fingered up and down my leg looking for something. When he pressed a certain spot on my ankle the searing pain reappeared. I gasped and Will smiled weakly._

"_Your Ankle is broken and dislocated at the joint between it and your leg. I will have to reset it. It's going to hurt." He walked out of the room but swiftly returned with one of fathers leather belts folded up. He gestured for me to open up and I did. He deposited into my months and stroked the hair out of my eyes. _

"_Ready?" he asked and I nodded. Suddenly, he turned my leg and both an intense feeling of relief and stinging shot up to my neck. I gasp, even through the belt. Then I blacked out._

_ Some time later I woke up to a cool washcloth across my brow. I looked up and saw Will smiling down at me._

" _Feel better?" he asked and I replied, "I feel like a wagon rolled over my leg and then a cow threw it up." _

_ "Good, that means your getting better. I have some stew stewing with your surprise and some other goodies. Give me a few minutes and I will be back with a heaping bowl for you." He said and walked out to the main room. A few moments later I heard a crash and a sick feeling rose in my throat. Dad was home. Whenever he was home he found some way to punish Will, whether it be that he didn't skin the deer good enough, or the fireplace is too dirty. Sure enough a few minutes later I heard a crash and a roaring voice say, "All I ask is that while I am gone you keep the house clean and your sister safe. But no, you ruin the house, don't pay any attention to your sister and she breaks her leg. You are the worst son ever; I don't know why your sister doesn't run away from you because you are a horrible brother too. I am going back out and by the time I get home I want this house clean!" then two resounding SMACKS! Ran through the house. Seconds later a door slammed. A few minutes after that Will can in with a black eye and a huge handprint going across the right side of his face. He was in pain, both mentally and physically, I knew, but he didn't show it. Instead he set down a bowl that had a delicious scent wafting from it._

"_Black bear stew with catnips __**(Hunger Games)**__ and wild onions" Will announced handing me the bowl, along with a spoon. " I have chores to do before I eat, okay?" he told me before exiting the room. Over the seven months it took me to fully heal, Will took care of me. He helped me dress, he got me dinner, and he helped me bathe. Father never came to visit me but I knew that the same incident that happened the night with the stew happened over 50 more times. I knew that I was taking up the time usually used to complete these chores. That was when I realized that Will would do anything and everything to help and protect him. That was the day I vowed to one day do the same for him._

_**End flashback of awesomeness**_

I snapped back to reality when Will snapped his fingers and signed, " _You, ok, you been staring off in the distance for almost five minutes."_

"_It was nothing, but I know that you have asked how I have been, how about you. And don't you dare say that you are fine because I know that you are probably clenching your teeth from the pain of signing." _ I told him.

"_Fine, I feel like a wagon ran over me and then a cow threw me up." _ We both laughed at the reference to the incident that I had just been remembering. Suddenly I hugged him and after I released him signed,_ " I thought I had lost you forever. Don't do that ever again."_ I think that he got the message because he tenderly signed, _ "I know, I wont do it again. I don't know what I would do without you."_ and with an uncharacteristic move, swept me into a hug. The last thing I felt before succumbing to Morpheus' arms were his lips forming the words 'I love you'.

_**End Tranesia's P.O.V.**_

_**So, how did I do? I felt more confident as I went in, and that flashback felt like it belonged there.**_

_**Regular P.O.V.**_

Halt walked into the twins' room a few hours later to see a sight that warmed even his old, cranky heart. The two were asleep, Tranesia in Wills arms, their fingers entwined. Will was snoring softly. Seeing that they wouldn't be waking soon, Halt took a blanket and covered the two before retiring to his own room to sleep.

_**END big giant from beginning of the chapter flashback**_

The rest of the week had contained much of the same, until three days ago.

_**Cue another flashback**_

_Halt woke up to commotion in the kitchen and went in to check. What he saw shocked him. On one side of the kitchen, Will was frying freshly caught rabbit, while filling a giant cup with coffee and honey, while on the other side, Tranesia was cooking a potato filled with eggs, cheese, and tomatoes. When they saw him, Tranesia stopped what she was doing and came over to him. Through tracing, she told him that they were making a thank you breakfast. At that moment Will came over with everything on a plate and gave it to him. On the plate was a sheet of paper. On the paper, written in handwriting that looked like a four old, the words 'Thank You' were scrawled._

_Tranesia smiled a stealthy traced on his hand while Will set the plates down, " Will never learned how to write until about two months ago." Halt smiled and nodded in a way that shoed that he understood. He sat down, looked at the paper, looked up at Will and said, "Your welcome." Will looked surprised for a second, but hid it as quickly as it came. After breakfast, he cleaned Wills wounds. For the rest of that day and the next three __**(so it should correspond to where they were at the very beginning of the chapter)**__ they hunted and came up with a lot of food._

_**End final flashback**_

Halt felt a smile creep up his face, but suppressed it. Seeing that his coffee was gone, Halt checked to see that the twins were sleeping, which they were. Satisfied, he went to bed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

DONE! Ok, that took me three hours to write I want reviews because I see that so many people visit but none review. I had to resist the urge to cry once I was so sad:(

Matchbox twenty 'she's so mean' is a great song


	7. Chapter 7

Silent apprentice

Chapter 7

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Okay,

Wren you inspired me. I was reading you review and I wanted to cry you made me so happy. We collaborated and Steve and I have decided to give you the position of _The-One-Who-is-Chief -Reviewee._ Enjoy. Anyway I heard matchbox twenty on the radio, recommend any songs that I might like?

Now that I have that out of the way, I am going to try to make my word total around 2,500 so I can make my total word count over 10,000 words. Wish me luck! Does anybody else find it funny that whenever you write Halt or Will's name, the computer wants to make them lowercase? Oh, and can anybody catch the _**Witch and Wizard**_ reference I made?

P.S. I heart P!NK! Listening to 'perfect'.

Also, for anyone currently in the US of A, I hope you all are safe and the hurricane Sandy didn't affect you. Luckily, I was safe in inland North Carolina. I pray for anyone who was affected

* * *

The next day, Halt decided that they could see some of the meat they had, because they had too much and some of it, such as the mountain lion (They have boars, they can have lions, deal with it.) would fetch a decent price at the market. After seeing the twins shooting skills, Halt was impressed. They shot each and every animal between the eyes, killing quickly and painlessly. He was also surprised how quietly they walked through the forest. "It's probably from sneaking around their 'masters'' Halt thought sadly.

He shuck his he to rid himself of the sad thoughts and turned his attention to the twins. Currently, Will was signing something that made Tranesia silently laugh. It was unnerving to see them laugh, seeing as they would only open their mouths like they were about to say Ahh… but no sound came out. Both were dressed in loose pants and shirts, with borrowed rangers cloaks that they were almost as skilled in using as Halt. He turned to them and said, "Come on, get on the horses now, we don't want to get to the market late or the meat will spoil and nobody will want to buy meat that's spoiled." The teens nodded their agreement and got upon the horse that they both rode. Halt attached the lead rope on the horse and they set of for the village and the market nearby it.

* * *

After a couple of hours, the triad reached the village. At the sight of the hoards of people, the twins, especially Will, tensed slightly. Halt stopped them and said, "It's okay, just stay out of their way and they will stay out of yours." The twins nodded and stopped shaking. With that, they entered the village. Once they were in the village, Halt realized that he forgot one important detail. Today was market day! Halt let a string of curses fall softly from his mouth. He knew if the twins knew that today was unusually busy, they would bolt. He reasoned that they would have to get used to crowds at one point. Anyway, if they handed today well, Halt would stop worrying about the upcoming Gathering. He had planned on taking them but was unsure whether they would be able to handle the other Rangers. 'Especially Gilan (Is that how you spell it? Don't have my books).' Halt thought. 'The hyper ranger is more trouble than he is worth.'

Halt shock (Can't spell that word: shake past-tense. Can anybody tell me?) Himself out of his ponderings and back into reality. The twins were doing well so far. HE led the down the road to a small inn. There he tether the horses and gestured for the twins to bring the meat. Halt knew that they could get a better deal if they went in the inn with the drunkards, instead of with the irritable wives outside. They pedaled their goods for the next couple hours, earning a fair amount of money (I know, another A.N., but does anybody know their currency?). Then, they cooked themselves a lunch of jerky and coffee, with water for the twins. After lunch he decided to let Will and Tranesia wander around with some pocket change and see if they found anything they liked. Leaving Will in charge, he left to go sell some more meat.

* * *

_**Will P.O.V! Sorta**_

After Halt left, Will turned to my sister and signed, "_Okay, I will give you thirty minutes by your self. That's it. After that, we will meet here and we can go and see of there is a necklace with your name on it." _With a nod of agreement, she disappeared into the crowd and more importantly, out of my sight. Immediately, a feeling of terror rose in Will's throat, but he ignored it and pushed it down. He had never liked being without his sister.

With their father the way he was, it fell on him to be the mother, father, and brother of our household. It had always been hard, harder than you could imagine. On top of hunting, cleaning, smoking meat, and taking care of his sister, he had to do most of the wife's duties. He learned hoe to sew at five, and how to cook by himself at six. Though, even on top of that, there was something worse. Even thinking about it made Will want to throw up. His father, being the swine he was, usually gave him a harder, tedious task to complete in an impossible amount of time. One of his favorites was for Will to clean the entire outside of the house, including the roof. Those tasks had caused him countless more sprains and breaks over the years, more than even his twin would know. Of he didn't complete the task in the amount of time given he was beaten. Never to bad he assured himself. Only what he deserved. A few slaps here, a punch or two there, maybe a few whippings. None of that mattered though, as long as Tranesia was there. He knew that if he took the beatings, Father wouldn't hurt her.

That was until they were sold into slavery. Although the whole thing had been hard on her, it had almost broken, no it _had _broken Will. He could remember a time when he used to laugh; to smile so much more than the one or two his sister had received. He couldn't though. Not after seeing his sister get beaten. Not after being beaten and whipped himself. Not after inadvertently killing an innocent man. Will had left his childhood long behind. After his fingers were broken though, he lost the will to live. What was the point when he would not be able to sign ever again? He was not a fool; he had known his fingers would heal garbled and twisted, unable to sign with. But then, The Incident happened. He could not even think of the name of the incident before he had to rush to the side of the road and throw up. It was so horrible to find out that- his musings were interrupted by the approach of three boys, battleschool boys if Will was correct. He stood up, ignoring the ever-present uneasiness and turned to them as the walked up straight in his face.

* * *

Ok, there's a cliffhanger. Ya know whom I am talking about right? Well, I kind of forgot their names and like I said, don't have my book. Could someone tell me? Also, updates will be sporadic now. I am participating in NaNoWriMo. Wish me luck!


	8. Chapter 8

Silent apprentice

Chapter 8

So, right about now, I am supposed to be getting out of the SAT and headed for my swim meet. But, thanks to the little ice storm that hit the east, I'm free. I have decided to use my spare time to finish this chapter.

Thanks to Bralt for telling me how to spell shook, and the names of our stupid bullies.

**I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALDA, BRYN, AND JEROME LOOK LIKE OR WHOS THE LEADER, DO NOT FLAME ME FOR MAKING THEIR LOOKS UP!**

Thank Blacktipped Angelwings for this chapter. They gave me the great idea for this chapter. If you like Alex rider, check out their story.

Anyone who wants to give plot ideas, feel free.

Disclaimer: If I'm writing a disclaimer, do you think I own it?

* * *

The three boys had a swagger (there's this kids in my math class who wears this swag sweatshirt all the time. just came to mind when I wrote the word.) to their walk, as if they were the best around. They walked up to Will and one walked in front of Will.

" I haven't seen you around here ever. Are you from a different fief?" One asked. He had short chopped brown hair and pale brown eyes. He was stocky, but well muscled. He was obviously the leader of the trio.

Will just shook his head.

"What, can't you talk dummy?" he said. Will shook his head again, this time nervously. What would they think when they found out that he couldn't talk?

"Oh, you're a dummy, huh? Your momma couldn't make you talk?" Will shook his head, unsure of what to do.

"Oh, well, maybe we could make him talk boys? What do you think?" The other boys nodded at the ring leader. Then they slowly advanced onto Will. He tried to back away, but they got him in a corner. Vaguely, he smelt the smell of food, a tavern. He knew that must be the building he was being driven up against. He wished he could speak. If only, then he could shout. But he couldn't, so that was impossible.

Suddenly, he felt his back hit the wall. He was stuck. He gave one last look around for Halt, hoping, just hoping the man would come magically around the corner.

He couldn't see him. Then, his world descended into chaos. Fists rained from the sky, hitting him blindly. He felt bruises forming on his skin.

Then, as soon as it started, it stopped. Looking around, he saw a girl his age standing over the boys, who she had knocked down. She had blonde hair, and blue eyes that looked to be normally bright and welcoming, but now held the devils fire in them. She had a slightly chubby frame, but that only made her seem even scarier. In her hand was a wooden spoon, held at the ready.

She turned on the boys and started screaming. "Get away from him. How could you? He was just minding his business when you thugs came up and started throttling him. You think your all that because you got into battle school. Well guess what, you're not! Now get away before I get Master Chubb."

At the mention of this Master Chubb, all three boys paled. They got themselves off the ground, and yelling obscenities, ran away from Will and the mystery girl.

She turned to him, her eyes no longer scary, but instead held deep warmth.

"I'm Jenny. What's your name?" She said motioning down to help him get up. Will shrugged her hand away and traced in the dirt, W-I-L-L.

Jenny saw and nodded, not even blinking an eye at the fact that he didn't talk to her. "Well, Will," She said, "Let's go get you some food." Will nodded and this time let her pull him up.

As they walked into the establishment, Will looked around. It was smoky inside, but that was to be expected. Lanterns lit at every table gave the room a warm glow.

"Roast duck all right?" Jenny asked, guiding him towards the bar. She sat him down and left towards the kitchen.

She left and Will wondered why he trusted her so easily. Maybe it was because she stood up for him. That and they fact she just exuded warmth and friendliness. He decided it was a combination of all of those.

Then Jenny came in, carrying a plate of perfectly cooked duck. Beside it was a steaming roll with butter. Will shook his head, trying to signal that he didn't need that nice of a piece of duck. All he needed was a small piece, and he would be on his way and out of her hair.

She seemed to get but said, "You should eat ten of these, you are just a tiny thing." Will nodded in reluctant acceptance but then another question popped into his head. He turned, trying to convey that he wanted to know how she had access to the kitchen.

"Oh, I am apprenticing to the cook here. That's Master Chubb."

Will nodded and took a bite of his duck. As the flavor exploded in his mouth, Will resisted the urge to mime a moan.

He glanced at the meat and Jenny instantly said, 'Oh, I just made the spice rub. Master Chubb is the real creator of the dish. Its one of my favorites too."

He nodded and kept eating. As he looked at her and wondered why she could tell what he was thinking. He turned to her and pointed to his head. Then he pointed to her and traced a question mark in the middle of them.

Again, she seemed to get what he was saying. 'OH! You want to know why I can read you easily. It's because one of the cooks at the caste is mute, and I learned to read her body language, so we could have conversations. I can read your lips to, if you mouth slowly.

Slightly shocked at this revelation he mouthed slowly, enunciating, "Castle?"

Jenny nodded and said, "Yes, that's were I grew up." At his raised eyebrow, Jenny proceeded to tell him about her life growing up in the Ward, and her ward mates, George, Horace, and Alyss. They sounded wonderful, it sounded wonderful. As he ate, they fell into a conversation, Will asking about things around Redmont, and about her childhood. Jenny would then entertain him with her adventures as a kid, stealing pies for the others from the kitchen.

* * *

Later that day, a few hours before sunset, Halt came wandering into Master Chubb's tavern. Tranesia had come wandering back a few minutes ago, worrying about Will because he hadn't shown up at their agreed meeting place. She had waited for a few hours, but he had never shown up.

The distress had been clear on her face as she had run up to Halt. He had taken one look and known that Will hadn't come back.

Without looking at the girl, Halt headed for the tavern. If there was anywhere a teenage boy with money was going to head, it was towards food.

Sure enough, when he had walked in, Will was sitting at the bar with an empty plate beside him. What surprised him was the blonde girl sitting next to him, chatting up a storm. He recognized her as jenny, Master Chubb's apprentice from the Ward.

The other thing that surprised him was the bruises littering the visible skin of Will. By the looks of it, someone had beaten up Will, but the young girl had stepped in.

He started towards the pair. As he neared them he heard, "Then, Horace walked into the Dorm and water spilled all over him. After that, he never mad Alyss mad ever again." Will smiled and then turned towards Halt, having herd him come up.

He raised an eyebrow in an expression that clearly showed he was wondering why halt had a grim look on his face.

"How was your day Will?" Halt asked, batting both grabbing the boys ear so he could drag him out and yell t him, or asking him why he was beaten up.

Multiple emotions passed across Will's face. First a smile came, then a wince, then another smile.

The girl, jenny spoke up, "Sorry sir, I didn't know I kept him. He was delightful to talk with though. Do you think he could come to town and visit with me again?" She asked with a hopeful glance.

Halt nodded at her and said, "Maybe." Then he turned to Will and said, 'Come on, we have to go. Your sister is waiting."

When he said the word sister, Will finally realized why halts voice sounded strained. He had forgotten about his sister.

Will almost went into a frenzy. Instead he turned to jenny, gave her a good by nod, and rushed out of the tavern.

As he ran out, one thought crossed his mind.

_Will she forgive me?_

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There you go, another chapter. please review my other story, i need a third review before i will start planning for an update! everyone have a happy day!


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